Is there a benefit to being Born Again and proceeding to seek righteousness?
(John 14: 15-26) “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (15-21)
“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (25-26)
We may recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit most commonly during times of "my will to thy will" submission before a Holy God. A Born-again Christian may be going from a heart of "I am only willing to do," transformed to "What would you have me do?"
God allows us to learn how to serve Him through prayer. Some appreciate the presence of the Holy Spirit beyond submission to aid in discernment. The Holy Spirit offers to teach us how to apply Christ's teachings. However, this requires our willingness be open to receive his grace (gifts of spiritual learning) rather than rely upon our short sightedness. It is done through prayer and an awareness of how He responds.
Have you ever asked a Christian of true maturity for a long term commitment? Much of the time their reply may be, "I'll get back with you." During the following weeks, they may spend time on their knees seeking discernment through the Holy Spirit as to the direction in life God would have them take.
Conclusion: Practical Application
Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.